Turkeys in a chicken coop

[CatWhisperer]

I would like to get a turkey or 2 to keep with my chickens. More as a pet than for holiday celebrations. I a wondering if a mature tom of midget white or preferably royal palm could live in a chicken coop and more importantly fit through a standard size automatic chicken coop door. What are special considerations I might have. I had a couple chickens die of Mareks in December so have used the vaccine in my flock. Will turkeys get Mareks because of this?

 

[casportpony]

I free range turkey hens with chickens and ducks and for the most part they get along okay, and a friend of mine keeps a tom with her peafowl and chickens in a large aviary and they do okay too. I've only owned turkey hens, so I cannot comment on the behavior of them with chickens, but I have read that during the breeding season that a tom might possibly injure chickens when trying to breed.

Marek's - I don't know enough about that so say, but I can give you the name of a very good avian pathologist at the UC Davis Tulare CAHFS lab that is always willing to answer my questions.

Blackhead (histomoniasis) is something you should research because there is no FDA approved treatment and the drugs needed to treat it are banned for use in poultry. Those drugs being nitroimidazoles (i.e. metronidazole, dimetridazole, ronidazole, etc.) and fluoroquinolone class antibiotics (i.e. enrofloxacin, etc.).

 

[Molpet]

I would like to get a turkey or 2 to keep with my chickens. More as a pet than for holiday celebrations. I a wondering if a mature tom of midget white or preferably royal palm could live in a chicken coop and more importantly fit through a standard size automatic chicken coop door. What are special considerations I might have. I had a couple chickens die of Mareks in December so have used the vaccine in my flock. Will turkeys get Mareks because of this?

they get a different type

was it vet diagnosed? other diseases look similar
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/
I had several chickens killed by my turkeys, but in general they get along so long as the chickens have some place to hide from the turkeys and the tom has enough hens

 

[CatWhisperer]

Mareks vaccine is made using the turkey Mareks virus, that’s why I want to know if poults could become infected because my birds are vaccinated.
Does anyone know whether small breed turkey will fit thru standard size automatic chicken door?

 

[Molpet]

Mareks vaccine is made using the turkey Mareks virus, that’s why I want to know if poults could become infected because my birds are vaccinated.
Does anyone know whether small breed turkey will fit thru standard size automatic chicken door?

My calico, Narragansett and red bronze hens easily fit through a 1x1 ft door, the jakes can get through it but the tom can't.
Most heritage are about the same size. Royal palms are the smallest that are easy to find... Not sure how big midget whites are... but they are harder to find